Julie Johnson (5) (1991–)

Good lord, the banter.

Gwen is a few years into owning and operating an occult shop she's inherited from her favorite person on the planet. She doesn't really believe in any of it but when in Salem. Between balancing the shop, her giant in-need-of-renovations house, and the need to flick the forehead of her hot frenemy until his smirk falls off, the woman is tired. Someone doing animal sacrifices that look a whole lot like witchcraft on her sidewalk are not what she needs at all.

She's known show more Graham for over a decade. He was kind to her as a child (her 11 to his 15), as a teenager, and markedly unkind to her now that they're both adults. He put his foot in his mouth all the way to the ankle when they were reintroduced two years ago and she hasn't let him forget it for a minute. He's the PI in charge of these sacrificial things and is quietly beside himself that she's involved.

After getting kidnapped, he barely lets her out of his sight and she has absolutely no idea what to do with that but count his abs to pass the time. The thing I didn't love was that twice he kissed her to prove a point. He was kissing her to punish her and I cheered her on every time she kicked him out for it. He seemed baffled and she was willing to never speak to him again over it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Julie Johnson for a copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

4.5⭐
This book has all the things for a great spooky fall read: witches, murder, mystery, spice, history, and cemeteries. Not to mention: the banter!
It is told from the POV of Gwen, a occult shop owner in Salem, MA. She becomes the target of a coven of dark witches. Who comes to her aid, but her childhood crush, turned overprotective alphahole?!
Their banter was top tier, funny, and swoon worthy.
Graham was almost too alpha (if that is even a thing), but Gwen did a good job of putting him show more in his place when he went too far. When he wasn't being over the top, he was compassionate and patient and was there for Gwen as she worked through some past hurts and trauma.
I enjoyed the mystery, which kept me guessing and engaged. There was a bit of a lull in the middle, but the build up to the ending more than made up for it.
This is the first book in a new series, and I can't wait for the rest.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

I have NEVER related to any character as much as I did with Gwen. I was screaming half the time while reading this book and I kid you not this book made my soul happy. It referenced Wednesday Addams, gossip girl, Gilmore Girls, taylor swift and soo many more as well but these hit me straight like Cupid for god’s sake. And who doesn't like a little witchy woo, It had a bit of tvd vibe which was a cherry on top I can safely say that this is my new comfort read. I really really didn't want it show more to end . Andddddd I’m all in for the next books in Witch City. This was the first book. Although I would have liked to get a bit more details about Graham as well. Each chapter begins with words of wisdom from our dear old Gwen show less

Ugh. DNF at 20%. And it started so well, but I saw the end coming:

At 19% in, I begin this review with a series of, I suppose they're warnings. It started well, I was enjoying it. But it's getting unbearable. I can tell I won't finish reading it.

1) This is in the kind of first person present tense that makes people hate that choice in novels. I roll my eyes as I protest, 'no one narrates their life like that, Julie.'

2) Even this early in, our MC, the heroine, has already declared no fewer show more than three times that she doesn't have the mental and physical reactions to men (or women, I assume) that others seem to. Insta-interest in the hero is shocking. Okay. Okay... OKAY I GET IT. I don't identify with it at all (it makes me think she ought to be something supernatural, TBH), probably because the interest for just the hero takes the monogamous theme to an extreme I can't identify with.

3) I'm really done with the gorgeous billionaire trope.

4) There are some not so nice bits; heroine disses sex workers. The horrible ex is overweight as well as horrible.

5) At 21% in, the heroine's thinking about her 'humans as art' theory (in the annoying narrator way), and I... ugh. It's just terrible. She's supposed to be an artist, a painter, yet doesn't base her theory on techniques but rather mediums. It makes no sense to anyone who knows anything about art.

6) Barely into chapter 11 (of 33) I'm bailing. MC equates attraction with weakness. That's it. I'm out. show less